Dr. Mark Lewis Taylor named Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Theology for Fall 2014

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary will welcome prominent theologian and scholar Dr. Mark Lewis Taylor during the fall 2014 semester as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Theology. Taylor has written extensively on religion, culture, and politics and holds the Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Theology and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.

Since the beginning of her presidency at Garrett-Evangelical, Dr. Lallene Rector and key faculty members have been exploring what it means to be a public theologian in the twenty-first century and how we might better prepare our graduates to be public theologians. With curriculum review underway, Taylor’s presence on campus will inform this conversation and help to solidify the seminary’s commitment to educating religious leaders both for the Church and the World.

“The seminary is excited to have Dr. Taylor join our community this fall,” said President Rector.  “Dr. Taylor’s carefully-considered viewpoint will enliven the public theology conversations taking place on campus. It is my hope that we can better equip our students to bring critical-thinking and ethical values to the public square for the wellbeing of all.”

Taylor earned his M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. A member of the Presbyterian Church, he frequently teaches and lectures in churches and supports church communities in their efforts to organize for justice and peace. His regular teaching duties focus on the theologies of Paul Tillich and Gustavo Gutierrez, with courses that address theological perspectives on white racism as theological challenge, feminist and womanist theologies, empire and capital in theological perspective, and cultural-political hermeneutics. Dr. Taylor’s publications include numerous articles and books: The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World (Fortress Press, 2011) and Religion, Politics, and the Christian Right: Post 9/11 Politics and the American Empire.

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